Innocent
by UnfathomableFandoms
Summary: Caleb is brought back to the homeworld of the Twi'leks again, a no-name, and finds memories he's not sure he wants to run from just yet. (Sequel to Today Was (Almost) a Fairytale)
1. Chapter 1

**(Guess who's back to the Rebels writing world! Had a lull in inspiration but I'm back and I'm here to cause pain with the help of the amazing RadicalCat. COVER IMAGE is by gimyohan on Tumblr, who was kind enough to give me permission to use their art. If you wish to use it, please ask them first.)**

Caleb did it again.

He rubbed the short, blunt eby dges of his hair where the braid had been. It was becoming a habit almost as bad as his previous one of combing his hand through his hair.

Master, Padawan, and the Force. He recited the mantra in his head. The three strands, brought together, now cut away. He supposed it made poetic sense. He had never felt more disjointed, cut off from his Master, the Temple and his past.

Cut off from his connection to the Force. Ever since he had vowed to no longer rely on the sense, he had felt his awareness weakening each day. It had taken a long time to retrain his thoughts not to unconsciously reach for the incorporeal sense, but he had done it. Nowadays, his spine barley tingled, and he was starting to suspect the Force itself was no longer trying to reach out to him, knowing he had shut down his senses and no longer relied on it.

The less it told him, the more comfortable he became with his blaster and the easier it was to ignore the space where his lightsaber had once been.

It was for the best. If it was cut off, he couldn't think about it, couldn't be recognized, couldn't-

He supposed he wasn't very good about not thinking about it. Thinking lead to questions, and questions were something he asked too many of. A habit he was trying to curb.

The _Kasmiri_ landed with a thud and the hissing of stabilizers. Janus lowered the ramp and lifted his long arms to stretch as he came to his feet.

"You never told me why we were coming here."

They'd come to Ryloth, of all places.

It had only been a few months since he had last been here, but it felt light years; lifetimes, away.

It was also one of the places on the list of "Where Would Caleb Go". The clones had escorted Caleb on his last visit, they'd know about his friendly connections here. Would the Clones expect him to stay away from the Twi'lek home world, knowing what they did? Or would they expect Caleb to come here, seeking asylum?

Taking a job on Ryloth was a gamble, one Caleb could not lose.

One of these days, he knew he wouldn't be lucky enough to cash in.

* * *

The sight of the Imperial ships that banked the surface of the orange planet had already put him on edge. Star Destroyers, familiar triangular shapes that had once been a proud and glorious sight, now cast long shadows on the planet and the _Kasmiri_ even in the dark expanse of space. But still Janus would only answer his demands with snarky remarks.

"I'm dropping you off, Kid. Your stalkers have been too much trouble." Janus stood, heading down to the cargo bay.

Caleb frowned and shoved his thumbs through his belt loops. It was impossible to tell if the Kalleran man was joking. Caleb supposed it was inevitable that he dumped him at some point, but it was unlikely Janus would give him any warning if he was planning to do so.

"Kidding, Kid. Relax!"

'Kid' seemed to have become his new name, much to his chagrin. But, it was better than anything else Janus had called him yet, and still better than anything Caleb could come up with. How were you supposed to pick a new name for yourself? Caleb had just always been... Caleb. The idea of a new identity was painfully necessary, but he was still at a loss of how to go about starting it.

Kasmir huffed something between a laugh and a sigh, patting him on the back a little too hard with a three-fingered hand as they walked down to the cargo bay. "We're delivering some goods in exchange for Spice."

Caleb narrowed his eyes. "Spice? What do we need that for? I don't think I'm in the mood for Giggledust."

Janus huffed and activated the antigrav on a droid pod. "No one who takes Giggledust is ever in a good mood. That's why they take it, Kid. But they sure do pay well for it."

Caleb rolled his eyes and steered his own pod along after the Kalleran.

As his boots hit the dry earth, Caleb paused to breathe in the pleasant, warm air. The distinct smell of dust with a twinge of salt carried through the air. It was cooler than it had been last time, the perfect temperature without stifling Jedi robes.

Janus had parked the Kasmiri in a blaster scorched valley, having been cleared of all evidence of the battle that had raged only months before. But the memories, like the burns on the ground, had yet to be worn away.

A familiar cluttered town looked over them. The city scape had changed a little since he'd last run through those streets.. Gone now was the frame of a large stone building on the edge of the wall, where he had sat outside and spoken like old friends with a Twi'lek girl… In its place, were the foundations for a new Imperial watch station. Only the skeleton of walls were up, but there was already a large sign hammered into the dry earth out front of it, emblazoned with a thick black Imperial mark, mockingly similar to the Republic's gear. There was a flash of white armor in the sun, and Caleb ducked back into the ship to retrieve his next load.

* * *

Caleb had gotten used to feeling watched, like a thousand unseen eyes hung over him, but this felt different. Every window of this street was shuttered, every door locked. But Caleb could see eyes peeking out between the slits of the shutters and caught sight of the curtains moving in the still air. He could hear anxious little whispers like fingers up his back as they shuffled along, steering their droids through the dusty streets. He shook off the feeling, pushing away the sense of anxiety he felt wafting off the streets. These weren't his feelings, and it wasn't his place to worry about things like that anymore.

But the unease in this part of town was still cause for concern. He knew what kind of imbeciles Janus kept in company. Just how much had Caleb gambled?

The silence was starting to wear on his patience. Caleb bit his lip, making sure his voice didn't crack when he spoke. "So where are we taking these droids?"

"To someone who has an excess of spice to trade for them." Janus said flippantly over his shoulder.

"And what are we going to with the spice?"

"Trade it. For more droids if need be." He said, but Caleb could hear the smirk just behind his features. He was planning something, and that was never a good sign.

"So we're trading droids for spice to trade for more droids?" Caleb snapped.

The Kalleran man arched his brow over one shoulder, grinning to one side. "Yes. That's how business is done Kid. Credits for Credits, a life for a life. Got a problem with it? Preach to the choir." Janus narrowed his eyes, obviously expecting a rebuttal.

Caleb frowned. He'd been tailing Janus for months now, and if one thing was clear, it was that Janus didn't do anything that didn't profit him in some way or another. And he rarely ever told the truth. Janus narrowed his smirk a little, and Caleb glared. He wouldn't be getting any straight answers out of him.

The houses were getting shabbier. The window shutters hung crooked, and the walls were beginning to crumble in places. Everything just looked…sadder. The houses weren't dilapidated, but the feeling of hopelessness was heavier than a woolen robe. Caleb blinked around him. He didn't remember the Ryloth of a few months ago like this.

The Twi'lek home planet had seen more war then a lot of other populated planets, but as long as you stayed away from the ruins of the battles with the separatists, Ryloth was just like any other planet in Outer Rim.

There were sections worse off the others, but he'd never seen it this close to a capital.

How did a few months change so much?

A thought occurred to Caleb.

"Hey, if your clients are so weighed down with spice, why don't they sell it straight up? They could get a lot more profit."

"They are selling it. To us." Janus replied, his tone thick. "And we're being paid well for the trouble, alright?"

"Then why are we in the poor sector?" Caleb realized too late how rude it sounded. It wasn't like Caleb had any money himself- everything he had was Janus'.

"Stop asking questions and push your weight, Kid. Or I might leave this place without you."

Caleb bit back his hot words and gripped the Handles of the pod tighter.

"Yeah," He said finally, making sure his tone was even. "you probably would."

And he doubled his speed, pushing his crates dutifully and silently just past the Kalleran man so he couldn't see his face.

He stared off into the morning horizon, quickly burning hotter into noon, and pretended the sun was the reason his eyes were burning. Janus didn't say another word, and Caleb resolved himself to do the same.

* * *

A creeper vine crept up the side of the building they had paused in front of, one that would be ornate if not covered in Ryloth dust and vines. The arched doorway was low and carved in intricate curlicues. Caleb ducked under it, steering his hover-crate after Janus, who tapped at his data pad and grumbled.

"You sure this is the place?" Caleb asked as he eyed the repeating diamond motif on the duracrete walls. They'd been walking for hours and Caleb wanted nothing more than to sit down- drop off the droids and be done with Ryloth before the clones came. He never used to mind walking for hours with Depa or their battalion, but now he felt burdened and tired. And hungrier.

"They gave me an address." Janus said firmly, but narrowed his eyes. "And this is it."

"Then... Where's your stack of spice?" Caleb asked, not really trying to keep the acid out of his tone.

"What did I say about questions, kid?"

Janus pulled out his blaster and Caleb followed his lead.

"I don't know. What did you say about reliable contacts again?"

Caleb swept his blaster around the room. There was no way this was the only room in the house- it was empty, the cabinets hung open on their hinges, sad and empty. There were no corridors leading off to other rooms. Caleb glanced down at the dusty floor. There was a rusted grate set in the stone at the very corner of the room.

Caleb gestured to it with his pistol and Kasmir nodded.

The grate lifted away from the stone without making a sound. Caleb peered down into the dark, making out flat stone at the bottom of a ladder bolted to the wall. It must have led somewhere. Somewhere worth hiding. Maybe wartime escape route, maybe something else now after the war. Or it could be a storage closet.

Janus growled low in his throat. "Leave the droids here. I don't want them to be stolen if this is a trick."

Caleb couldn't believe what Janus had said. "But you're willing to go down there if it is?"

Janus grinned, flashing sharp teeth. "Anything for the profit."

Caleb swallowed. Even without the Force for guidance, he had a bad feeling about this.

Janus's smile melted. "Hey, I'll be in front and you can tell me you told me so as I die."

Caleb scowled and let him lead the way down the ladder, trying not to feel like a Bantha led to the slaughterhouse.

The ladder was gritty under the palms of his hands, and groaned faintly with each boot step. He landed on his feet in the dimly lit cellar. The tunnel turned a corner and out of it there was a faint, warm glow like emergency lights on a ship.

They nodded gravely, hoisted their blasters, and crept down the hall silently.

Janus motioned for him to stop at a corner and he did, shifting nervously on his feet. He wanted to run back up that ladder and let Janus deal with the disaster he could feel creeping in the corners; but he didn't. Partly because he gave him food and shelter, but also, Caleb hated to admit, because he had become loyal to him.

Janus turned the corner and Caleb scratched his neck nervously. _Come back._ He thought.

 _Not again._

"Who are you?" He heard a somewhat familiar and accented male voice call.

"We have your merchandise." Janus called out in a friendly tone.

There was low murmuring he didn't catch, but no one opened fire- yet. Whoever it was clearly had the number advantage if they did.

"We?" the male voice asked.

Caleb clenched his jaw and turned the corner, keeping a firm hand on his blaster. He lowered his face, wishing he could let his hair fall in front of it.

"Caleb?" A high, tinny voice asked.

 _Blast it_ , he knew that voice, it was seared into his mind, familiar and unwelcome as the name she called him.

A smaller shape moved out from the darkness, stepping into the light. He'd know that voice, and the matching pastel green face, anywhere.

Hera blinked owlishly at him, taking him in from head to feet and opening and closing her mouth.

"I thought you were dead!" she whispered.

Caleb had no answer, because as far as he was concerned- Caleb Dume was dead. He was a drifter between the worlds now.

Hera moved forward, and Janus leapt away in alarm as the Twi'lek threw her arms around the boy and began to laugh.

And as much as Caleb wanted to, he didn't let himself hug her back.


	2. Chapter 2

Hera pulled back when she realized Caleb had gone stiff.

"Caleb…you've changed." She said sadly, and her eyes were far too mature for a girl of eleven. Caleb wanted to say something, anything, to reassure her, but his jaw was glued shut. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear- an echo of a motherly gesture Depa had once displayed. Caleb's heart stung.

"Not a fan of the hair." she told him with a weak smile.

Janus cleared his throat. The Twi'leks were watching, flicking their headtails in unrest and staring them down. Caleb took the cue and detangled himself from the girl's hands, stepping quickly back to the Kalleran's side. He did his best not to look anyone in the eye.

"Hera," Cham spoke, beckoning the girl back to his side. She hesitated only for a second, still eying Caleb with wide eyes as she withdrew.

Cham sat in his chair and leaned his forearms on the stone table. "Firstly, I thank you for meeting with me under such circumstances."

Kasmir tossed his jaw carelessly, and shrugged off the welcome. "I go wherever the credits are calling me."

"Indeed." Cham said. His eyes skirted over Caleb. _I remember you,_ his eyes said. _But yet, not at all._ Caleb knew exactly how that felt.

He nodded to Caleb, just slightly, and his lekku twitched. Caleb slowly took a seat.

Caleb never would have thought he'd meet him again, and at a stone table no less. Caleb wondered if he could ask to be kicked out this time, just to uphold tradition.

A few other Twi'leks sat in the mismatched chairs and clung to the walls. They said nothing, but their headtails twitched in silent communication. One girl, Caleb noted, bore striking resemblance to Cham and must have been Hera's older sister. 

Caleb caught his shaking hand reaching up to rub the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I will tell you now, I was never in the market for droids. The order was a ruse to sift out those with the means to work outside of government control. I'm looking for reliable allies, informants and supplies."

"Reliable" may not be the right word for Kasmir, but he was certainly an interesting ally.

Janus didn't answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "You are a cunning man, but I'm in the market for money, which means I'm in the market for spice I'll need at our next stop. If you have no need for droids and no spice for me, there is no deal."

"We have the spice," Cham said. "But we have more to offer that may be more lucrative for us both."

Hera sat up straighter. "We know about what happened to the Republic. Together, we can-"

"Haven't you heard? The war is over, little girl." Kasmir cut her off, shaking his large head with a soft condescending smile. "No more Republic, no more Seps."

Hera scowled and looked at Caleb. He looked away.

"This isn't over. There's still more to fight for!"

Cham flicked a hand, indicating enough had been said, but she wasn't quite done just yet.

"Anyone with sense should be fighting this- _You_ should be fighting."

"Anyone with sense would stay out of war," Caleb mumbled. No one noticed.

Kasmir broke the tension in the air by letting out a loud crack of laughter, startling Caleb.  
"You build 'em with high hopes in these parts." He said to Cham.

"Hope has more power than you might expect." Cham replied, "Now you know well enough by now that we are no friends of this new Empire. Many believe a new dawn has come, but Ryloth is not so easily fooled. We have been before, and we will not make the same mistakes."

"You can join us and we can fight back together." Hera added, and Cham looked at her with an odd mix of pride and rebuke. Just like Depa.

"That is one option. Or your simplest support would be of great value. We know you smuggle for profit…but would you smuggle for something greater then yourself?"

 _Something greater_ was the opposite of what Caleb wanted. He'd stood for something more and now he had nothing.

Nothing he'd ever done had meant anything. All his years of training and he hadn't been able to save his master or their way of life.

What Cham, what _Hera,_ spoke of was _war_. And Caleb had seen the fruitlessness of that first hand.

All too soon these fools would realize the same thing. Change came with pain. Change came with war, riding on the backs of everyone. No one won in war.

The fall of the Republic and the Separatists had proved that, and here they were looking to start another one.

"No." Caleb spat suddenly, drawing everyone's attention.

Janus had been opening his mouth and Caleb wondered if he would have said something different, but that wasn't Caleb's concern. "No idealistic mission is worth death. I learned that the hard way. Nothing, _nothing_ was worth killing my Master!" Caleb didn't know what he was saying anymore, or who he was angry with. Maybe the whole galaxy. Maybe the Jedi. _Blast_ the Jedi! They were all dead anyway.

"It would do you good to learn that too." He added sharply. He didn't meet anyone's eyes especially Hera's.

"I'm afraid the Kid's got sense." Kasmir said finally. "So it looks like we won't be dealing business any time soon."

Cham sat back in his seat, steepling his hands. "That is unfortunate. We can offer you shelter here until nightfall. Your spice will be delivered to your ship in trade of your droids at dawn, and you are free to move about as you please. Agreed?"  
Kasmir nodded.

There was flurry of movement, as Cham stood up, followed by every other Twi'lek at the table. They moved together down a second tunnel. Caleb could hear them chattering underneath their breath.

Hera had lingered, half in and half out of the hallway. Caleb knew she was about to say something.

He turned his back on her clearing his throat. "So we just have to wait around? When are we leaving?" He demanded.

"When I get my spice." Kasmir answered shortly, watching the girl over his shoulder and making no move to hide it. Caleb grit his teeth and waited until Kasmir's eyes had followed Hera out of the room.

Caleb had expected the Twi'lek to keep them locked underground until their trade that evening, but since their meeting, they had largely been left on their own, expect when a tall green Twi'lek female had come to offer them a small hot terrine of protein broth and damper bread.

The meal was meager but wholesome, and Caleb feels his cheeks burn with shame as the woman smiled at him as he handed him a steaming cup. 

He didn't deserve to be served.

Caleb finished his food as fast as he could and escaped into the setting sun.

Caleb knew Hera would come talk to him eventually, she was stubborn that way. It would be admirable if he hadn't hiked up this hill to be alone. 

"Tell me," Hera said, putting a small hand on his shoulder. "Are you in the market for a friend?"

"No." Caleb said and he hated the word. "I'm in the market for staying alive.

Hera frowned, and Caleb barely had it in him to feel guilty. Eventually she'd see that the galaxy was a lost cause and so was he. The loss was bitter, and so was his tongue.

Caleb squinted into the horizon and shuffled dry pebbles in his hand. The Ryloth sunset bathed everything in red, painted the dry dust into red clay and the valley below a bloody red. Or maybe that was how he remembered it, looking at the light saber scars. Just months ago he'd saved Depa from Grievous, and now when it had mattered he'd obeyed orders as blindly as a droid.

Hera sat beside him. Her dress was still grease-stained like the one she'd worn when he'd met her, but it seemed even more worn out like everything in Ryloth. The sudden poverty had come over Ryloth like persistent storm clouds.

It was all a game of power, the Republic's had been thinly veiled with the Jedi's morals. The Empire had ripped that veil and Caleb wondered what the politicians would hide behind now. Maybe their own power, hungrily kept and easily taken.

"You could have both, you know. It's not really living without a friend."

"Well I'm living just fine with Janus. I don't need anyone to validate me."

Hera rubbed his hand. Hers were warm and soothing, and Caleb pulled away before he could relax too far into them. Hera frowned. "It's okay to not be strong. Caleb-"

"Don't call me that!" He said. The name burned him. "I'm not Caleb!"

Hera recoiled. "What? Of course you are. You're my Caleb."

"I'm not! I'm not Caleb and I'm not yours or anyone's! I can't be Caleb anymore. Sorry to disappoint, but you get used to it."

Caleb got up to leave, kicking up dust and turning his back on the valley below. Somewhere out there the _Kasmiri_ parked in the shadow of the Empire's new building. A short jump away to freedom.

"Just because you changed doesn't mean you can't be my Caleb. I'll still care about you. You can't stop me, you can't defend me. I don't care if I get hurt."

Caleb didn't answer.

She didn't realize that _he_ cared if she got hurt, that he couldn't stand to be hurt again when he had to break another bond.

"What happened, Caleb?" Hera whispered. "Palatine said the Jedi turned against the Republic. It was him. Wasn't it? All along it was him."

Caleb paused. His shoulder blades ached, they were pinned up around his ears. "All I know," he said, "is that the Clones betrayed us. I watched them gun down my Master. They were animals!" he choked. He couldn't breathe right anymore, but it was all welling out in a flood of pent up emotion and tears. "We fought and ate side by side and they gunned her down while I ran!"

Hera out a hand on his shoulder. Caleb whirled around, gripping her by her slight arms and squeezing, _squeezing. Don't go._ "I should have stayed! I should have defended my Master! She would have lived and she would know what to do, she'd rally up anyone she could and she would fight back!'

"Then rally us! Honor your Master and fight back! You know you want to!"

Caleb shook his head, squeezing tighter now. "I don't! I don't want to because I'm a _coward!_

Hera's tears collected at the point of her wobbling chin. "Caleb. Caleb, let go. It hurts."

The mist in front of his eyes cleared, her big green eyes were wet and begging. _Let go._

Caleb let go of her arms, where gray-red bruises bloomed on her arms. Caleb's hands were shaking.

"I'm- I'm so sorry."

Caleb turned to run, blocking out her protests with the beat of his feet and the clouds of dust he blinked out of his eyes.

 _Run, run, run._ All he did was run.

Hera found him again that evening. She stood outside the cockpit of the _Kasmiri_ and waved until Caleb was too annoyed to ignore her.

Caleb kicked the side of the ship. "What's taking Janus so long?" He asked.

Hera sat down on the ramp, but Caleb remained standing. Her eyes were so disappointed, her lips were pursed. She crossed her arms over the ugly bruises Caleb had left on her.

"He's negotiating with my father. You're going to stay the night. He sent me to get you so you wouldn't be sleeping out here alone."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Not an option," Hera said, standing and setting her jaw. "He doesn't want you out here. The Empire is right above you, they're going to get suspicious eventually. They'll come looking for you. And us."

Caleb glanced up at the new building, still being built. The sun was setting, bright whispers of red fading to blues and purples. The black, twisted frame of the building pierced the beauty with its ugly, sinister spires.

It would only take so long, he knew. Soon the clones would come, if the guards already here didn't first. He told himself it would only be one night, and it was better than being captured when he was alone.

Caleb took the hand Hera offered him and let her lead him back.

Caleb lay awake on his bedroll. He could hear the Twi'leks breathing around him, hear their hearts beating.

This place was so _alive,_ and warm with beating hearts and sleeping minds, but behind it the sickness spread. Like the creeper vines, despondency crept into every mind, the Empire spread and poverty became a pandemic.

But with it the anger and the hope spread too. Caleb wondered how long it would take for war to start, how long until he was stuck in the crossfire again. He wouldn't fight this time, but you don't get a choice if war takes you in its clutches and leaves you bare and scarred, like a battlefield.

Caleb wondered how many more scars he could take before his heart stopped beating.

The Twi'lek thought they needed him, he could feel it. Behind the discomfort, he heard them thinking: _Tal Jedi Tann._

 _Our champion Jedi, our hope._

He wasn't a Jedi. He'd disappoint them if he let them keep hoping. He couldn't stay, soon fate would find him. He wasn't ready to find it, he would keep running until his legs gave out beneath him.

Regardless of what the Twi'lek offered him, he would leave tomorrow.

With or without Janus.

"What's wrong with you, Kid?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Caleb asked, throwing hishands up. "I thought you were all about profit! Don't tell me you're going to get involved in their stupid, idealistic war!"

"If I remember right, _you_ fought the last idealistic war, no?"

"And I learned from it. They're starting another one," Caleb had to stand on the tips of his toes to meet Janus's eyes. He thrust his jaw forward. "Now stop ignoring the question. Are you getting involved?"

"No, Kid. Relax! I'm here for spice, and then we can leave this dustball and never come back. Happy?"

"Overjoyed."

But as he kicked up the red dust, he couldn't help but ache at the thought of never coming back.

Which meant he had to leave as soon as possible, before he grew too attached.

Cham steered five hovercrates toward their ship. Hera and her sister followed, and a few Twi'lek straggled behind to watch.

The Imperial building under construction loomed above them, with only a few guards on duty, but enough to make Caleb anxious.

It was very early in the morning, early enough to still be called night. The sky was slate gray and the dust was sticky with dew.

"Five crates of spice, no charge. A gift. We hope you consider changing your minds. You would be…" He glanced at Caleb then. "Powerful allies."

Janus shook his head and took the crates. "I don't think we'll be coming back. Good luck with the war."

Cham almost winced.

Hera caught his eye. "Caleb."

 _Not my name_ , he thought, but he didn't know what she could call him instead. It would be useless now, because they would never meet again.

"You don't have to run," she whispered. "You can stay, and we can keep you safe."

Caleb shook his head. He glanced up at the half-built skeleton above them. Soon, he'd be forced to if he didn't now. "I do. I have to run. It was her last order and I intend to keep it."

He didn't bother arguing with her about how "safe" he would be if she got the war she wanted. He didn't want another goodbye to be bitter.

"You Master. She was…" She paused, like she didn't know what to say.

"She was everything. Now she's nothing."

"I'm sorry."

Caleb nodded, rubbing the hair at the nape of his neck.

Janus put a hand on his arm. "Say goodbye to your girlfriend," he said, but his tone was too soft to make Caleb embarrassed.

He bowed, just once, like he used to at the Temple. Her eyes widened.

Then he turned and boarded the _Kasmiri,_ without looking back.

Janus gripped the steering yoke as Caleb settled into his chair. He cleared his throat. "Making the jump to hyperspace," he announced.

Caleb tried not to look as they punctured the atmosphere, but the pull was too strong. The planet hovered below; a hazy ring of light surrounded it. The Star Destroyers still hovered above, but their shadows seemed shorter, just for the moment, the planet looked peaceful.

Then the stars were pulled around them and it was gone. Caleb wasn't sure if he was glad to see it go, but the imprint of it burned on the back of his lids as he settled in to nap. It wasn't quite gone yet.


End file.
